Imaginary friends, stalking, and curating the Web: An ESL student\u27s use of social media

Social media is a phenomenon that has only emerged in the last few years, but has quickly become one of the principal venues for communication between individuals. Because of recent technological developments in mobile technologies, individuals can now connect with their social network anywhere and anytime. Participation in networked online communities has been so pervasive that it has started to influence many of the ways in which individuals understand themselves and the world, communicate with each other, and engage in practices such as literacy and media consumption (Thorne & Black, 2008). One of the consequences of this qualitative shift is the development of cultures-of- use that shape the ways in which learners participate in computer-mediated interaction and literacy consumption (Thorne, 2003) and that are often inconsistent with institutionally promoted practices. This mismatch could lead to a diminished effectiveness of traditional computer-mediated pedagogical practices; on the other hand, an increased awareness of existing computer-mediated practices could foster the development of pedagogies that are more effective for language learning. This study aims to describe the social media habits of an English as a Second Language (ESL) student enrolled in an American university by employing both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Results show that this student used social networks to cultivate meaningful relationships, to project a true identity to the external world, and to learn about her host culture, and that these practices were carried out with an awareness of her purposes and of each tool\u27s culture-of-use (Thorne, 2003)

Quality Traits of Medical Cannabis sativa L. Inflorescences and Derived Products Based on Comprehensive Mass-Spectrometry Analytical Investigation

Cannabis sativa L. has been cultivated throughout the world for industrial and medical purposes and is the most controversial plant ever exploited, with considerable discrepancies in the praise and disapproval it receives. Medical Cannabis prescriptions are on the increase in several countries where its therapeutic use is authorised due to its positive role in treating several pathologies even if it represents a multifaceted reality in terms of application. There are at least 550 identified compounds in C. sativa L., including more than 100 phytocannabinoids and 120 terpenes. The chemical complexity of its bioactive constituents highlights the need for standardised and well-defined analytical approaches able to characterise plant chemotype and herbal drug quality as well as to monitor the quality of pharmaceutical cannabis extracts and preparations. This research highlights the potential of using different analytical procedures involving the combination of headspace-solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) coupled to GC–MS and accelerated solvent extraction (ASE) coupled to high resolution mass-spectrometry (HPLC-Q Orbitrap®) for the in-depth profiling of quality traits in authorised medical varieties of Cannabis sativa L. flos (Bediol®) and corresponding macerated oil preparations. This approach could add new knowledge to the field of “omic” analytical applications which are fundamental nowadays for Cannabis used for therapeutic remedies

Morphometric and phytochemical characterization and elevation effect on yield of three potato landraces of the Ligurian Apennines (Northern Italy)

The great adaptability, productivity and importance in human diet conditioned the diffusion of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) in very different areas, leading to the formation of numerous landraces through anthropic or natural selection. Genoa mountainous inland is an historical area for potato cultivation and landraces are preserved by farmers associations as “Consorzio della Quarantina”. The aim of this study was the phytochemical and morphometric characterization of three potato landraces of the consortium (Quarantina Bianca, Quarantina Prugnona and Rubra spes) analysing the bio-agronomical performance at different elevations. The commercial cultivar Kennebec was used as control. For the morphometric analysis, the results of pairwise MANOVA shows that only Quarantina Bianca does not present significant differences with Kennebec in the mean shape. The four potato varieties resulted significantly different for the most of the considered phytochemical aspects (among content in ash, starch, solanine, total flavonoids, total phenols, chlorogenic acid, caffeic acid, ferulic acid and radical scavenging activity only starch and solanine content didn’t result statistically different). A remarkable result was a more consistent yield for all the varieties with the increase of elevation in the agronomical trials. We can conclude that Genovese landraces are a good choice to exploit Genovese mountain marginal territories

Application of the floristic-vegetational indexes system for the evaluation of the environmental quality of a semi-natural area of the Po Valley (Piacenza, Italy)

The floristic-vegetational indexes proposed by Taffetani and Rismondo (2009) and updated by Rismondo et al. (2011) were used to assess the environmental quality of a semi-natural located on the outskirts of Piacenza (Emilia Romagna, Italy), the site of a closed landfill of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW). This method was created and perfected to analyze the ecological functionality of afro-ecosystem and permits simp and rapid measurement of the ecological characteristics and grade of dynamic evolution of then phtocoenoses. These indexes were applied to the vegetation of the different sectors that make up the study area ad from the results obtained t was possible to identify those with the worst environmental quality and to formulate some proposes for action aimed at improving them environmentally. In particular an interruption in the evolution of the landfill vegetation was found, due to the chemical-physical characteristics of the cover sol which is compacted and of limited depth. The application of the Taffetani and Rismondo (2009) indexes to a real case has also allowed evaluation of their practicality and the information content obtained

Characterization of "Mais delle Fiorine" (Zea mays L.) and nutritional, morphometric and genetic comparison with other maize landraces of Lombardy region (Northern Italy)

AbstractThe loss of agrobiodiversity is a topic of global impact. On a local scale, Lombardy, in the Alpine macro-Region, has lost more than 78% of its plant agrobiodiversity. Only four maize (Zea mays L. subsp. mays) landraces of Lombardy are registered in the European Register of Conservation Varieties. However, there are other maize landraces in Lombardy such as "Mais delle Fiorine", which was characterized from an agronomic, morphometric, nutritional and genetic point of view in this research and then compared with the four other landraces already registered ("Spinato di Gandino", "Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta", "Scagliolo di Carenno" and "Nero Spinoso"). "Mais delle Fiorine" resulted richer in starch (81% ± 1.6) and zinc (35.8 ± 9.1 mg Kg−1) and lower in phosphorus (3256.7 ± 204.2 mg Kg−1). The kernels in the five landraces also differ in the mean shape that is obovate without beak. A genetic distinction between "Mais delle Fiorine" and the other varieties was observed, and in particular compared to "Nero Spinoso", while "Scagliolo di Carenno" and "Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta" showed great similarities. As regards agronomical trials, "Mais delle Fiorine" can grow from the Po Valley (90 m a.s.l.) to the mountain environments of the Seriana Valley (also over 900 m a.s.l.) without significant differences in grain yield. In addition, this landrace would seem able to tolerate environments where there is a greater probability of water stress

How harvest, cleaning and conservation good practices affect the quality of saffron: results of a research conducted in Italy

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) spice making requires time-spending manual operations: stigmas are separated from the flower picked in bud early in the morning, and once dried they are preserved protected from light. This study verified how the correct pursuing of these good practices affects saffron quality. Few hours of exposure of the flower to the sun determined a significant decrease in the colouring strength (239.66 ± 10.33 versus 255.35 ± 11.87). The correct cleaning of stigmas determined a very significant increase of colouring strength (247.12 ± 13.32 instead of 224.35 ± 14.88) and a significant increase of flavour strength (99.72 ±7.48 against 90.31 ± 6.32, p <0.05). In 24 months, all the samples kept in the dark were still of first category of quality while the ones kept in the light dropped in second category. For all samples there was an increase of aroma strength and a decrease of the flavour and colouring strength, but only the colouring strength loss followed a significantly more sloping trendline. A detectable difference in the content of trans-crocin 4 correlated to the ageing or the way of conservation was not found, nevertheless, it was confirmed that the isomers tend towards a photostationary state where the trans isomer is more present

Quality Traits of "Cannabidiol Oils": Cannabinoids Content, Terpene Fingerprint and Oxidation Stability of European Commercially Available Preparations

Cannabidiol (CBD)-based oil preparations are becoming extremely popular, as CBD has been shown to have beneficial effects on human health. CBD-based oil preparations are not unambiguously regulated under the European legislation, as CBD is not considered as a controlled substance. This means that companies can produce and distribute CBD products derived from non-psychoactive hemp varieties, providing an easy access to this extremely advantageous cannabinoid. This leaves consumers with no legal quality guarantees. The objective of this project was to assess the quality of 14 CBD oils commercially available in European countries. An in-depth chemical profiling of cannabinoids, terpenes and oxidation products was conducted by means of GC-MS and HPLC-Q-Exactive-Orbitrap-MS in order to improve knowledge regarding the characteristics of CBD oils. Nine out of the 14 samples studied had concentrations that differed notably from the declared amount, while the remaining five preserved CBD within optimal limits. Our results highlighted a wide variability in cannabinoids profile that justifies the need for strict and standardized regulations. In addition, the terpenes fingerprint may serve as an indicator of the quality of hemp varieties, while the lipid oxidation products profile could contribute in evaluation of the stability of the oil used as milieu for CBD rich extracts

The Shared LCTL Symposium: A Call to Action

“It is hard work and it could - likely will - take years, but it will be worth it.” How can we reimagine foreign language learning for the context of higher education today? How can we make sure that foreign languages remain relevant and an important part of the landscape of education in the United States? By focusing on innovative ways to partner across institutions and collaborate, the participants at the Shared LCTL Symposium in September 2018 discussed these key questions (resulting in the quote above from one of our participants). As a whole, the Shared LCTL Symposium (SLCTLS) focuses on how sharing languages, and, specifically, LCTLs, can work at different institutions, from small liberal arts consortia to large public institutions

Quality traits of saffron produced in Italy: geographical area effect and good practices

Saffron (Crocus sativus L.) is the most expensive spice in the world and is used in food, cosmetic and dyeing industries. Considering that the production of saffron is increasingly widespread in medium-small Italian farms as well as the scarceness of information and studies regarding the quality of the saffron produced in Italy, the principal aim of this study was to investigate the quality of Italian saffron. Qualitative analysis was conducted in accordance with ISO 3632 1,2:2010-2011 considering 484 samples collected over four years (2015-2018). In particular, moisture content, aroma strength (safranal), colouring strength (crocin) and flavour strength (picrocrocin) were assessed for each sample, and whether spice quality varied according to the geographical area where the spice was produced was also investigated. Qualitative analysis showed that the majority (84-93%) of the samples analysed are of the first quality category, regardless of the year of production. Moisture content and colouring strength are the factors that influence the quality of the spice most. Principal component analysis showed that quality is not influenced by the geographical area where the spice was produced. Finally, some best agricultural practices to obtain a high quality saffron spice are reported

The Ancient Varieties of Mountain Maize: The Inheritance of the Pointed Character and Its Effect on the Natural Drying Process

The introduction of mechanized agricultural practices after the Second World War and the use of productive hybrids led to a gradual disappearance of local maize varieties. However, 13 landraces are still cultivated in North-Western Italy, in the Lombardy region; those that are cultivated in mountainous areas (roughly up to 1200 m in altitude) are often characterized by the pointed shape of their seeds (i.e., “Nero Spinoso”, “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta”, “Spinato di Gandino” and “Scagliolo di Carenno”) and the presence of pigments (i.e., “Nero Spinoso”, “Rostrato Rosso di Rovetta”). The pointed shape of the seeds is an ancient characteristic of maize-ancestors, which negatively affects the yield by not allowing optimal “filling” of the ear. This study reports work on four different Italian varieties of pointed maize in order to assess the genetic bases of the “pointed character” and to try to explain the reasons for this adaptation to the mountain environment. The data obtained by genetic analysis, seed air-drying modeling and thermographic camera observations demonstrated that the “pointed trait” is controlled by the same genes across the different varieties studied and suggested that this peculiar shape has been selected in mountainous areas because it promotes faster drying of the seed, with the presence of pigments implementing this effect